Telfer: With no public outcry, FCC decides obscenities are OK

Published 7:00 pm, Saturday, February 22, 2003

When the swear word for an illegitimate child rang out from an actors voice on a network television show recently, my ears perked up.

"What did he say," I asked. "Did I hear what I thought I heard?"

Yes, I did.

A story in the Daily News about the same time confirmed the news  network television is pushing the decency envelope in an attempt to better compete with racier cable programming.

Four-letter words are becoming commonplace on network television, but regulators at the Federal Communications Commission say nobody cares. And the FCC has adopted a hands-off policy unless it receives a significant number of complaints from the public.

Why the apathy?

Those who work in the television industry apparently believe the publics resolve has worn down. New boundaries are being pushed and crossed each year, and the definition of whats appropriate for network television evolves as a result. People begin to accept that what they are seeing on TV is simply a reflection of society as a whole and therefore okay for viewing.

In other words, our morals are going down the tube, literally.

Is this acceptable to you? Is this what you want to see on television every night  more obscenities, more "adult" situations, more "bleeps" for words that still cannot be aired (but soon will be at the current pace of change)  all in the name of edgier and supposedly more entertaining TV?

Have we really become so tolerant of trash?

There was a period a few years back where wholesome television programming appeared to be making a comeback. Shows such as "Touched by an Angel" were popular and gave hope that network executives would see the value in producing well-done, but decent, shows. Evidently, those executives now have decided that the road to higher ratings is to become more like the racier cable companies they blame for loss of viewers. Imitation of sleaze is becoming a network art form. Reality TV shows and other morally deprived programming come about as a result.

You can do something about this decline in prime time. You can write the Federal Communications Commission at 445 12th Street SW, Washington, D.C. 20554 or call the agency at 888-CALL-FCC (225-5322) and tell the FCC how you feel about whats happening on network television.

Silence is seen as acceptance of what is happening. Is that the message you want to send?